Noisy neighbors to the north acting up again. o,0

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Seems like that should be a whole new thread, Anthro. We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

[Ian]

Anthro,
Can I ask why you put the words "insurgents" and "militants" in quotation marks? Are the poor, misunderstood Taliban and al Qaeda fighters being bullied by the big, bad US? Shame shame.

Look at that last paragraph. You're just whining about problems as you see them, not giving alternatives. If you think it's going so poorly, what would your strategy be, exactly?

[FBM]

Seems like that should be a whole new thread, Anthro.

If it's going to turn into an extended diatribe or debate, yeah.

We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

I knew y'all loved me. Sorta, anyway.

[Ian]

We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

I knew y'all loved me. Sorta, anyway.

I keep you in mind every weekday.
Reading analysis of how tensions on the Korean peninsula could potentially escalate into full-blown war, how could I not?

[Ayaan]

We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

I knew y'all loved me. Sorta, anyway.

Well of course we do. How could you think otherwise.

[FBM]

We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

I knew y'all loved me. Sorta, anyway.

I keep you in mind every weekday.
Reading analysis of how tensions on the Korean peninsula could potentially escalate into full-blown war, how could I not?

We're kinda keeping an eye on FBM in this one, sorta anyway.

I knew y'all loved me. Sorta, anyway.

Well of course we do. How could you think otherwise.

for you both. I never thought otherwise. Just teasing 'zilla.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Wut?

[FBM]

Huh?

[FBM]

Heating up a little:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101217/wl_ ... orea_north

North Korea says to strike South if drill goes ahead

By Yoo Choonsik and Chris Buckley Yoo Choonsik And Chris Buckley – 42 mins ago
SEOUL/BEIJING (Reuters) – North Korea said on Friday it would strike again at the South if a live-firing drill planned by Seoul on a disputed island went ahead, with an even stronger response than last month's shelling that killed four people.

The announcement on North Korean official news agency KCNA came as South Korea readied for live-firing drills on Yeonpyeong island near a disputed maritime border with the North for the first time since November's exchange of artillery fire.

The South Korean drills will take place between December 18-21.

"The strike will play out a more serious situation than on November 23 in terms of strength and scope of the strike," KCNA said.

The North had said its November shelling was a response to South Korean "provocations."

North Korea's warning came after Seoul promised a more robust response to any further attacks on its territory. The shelling of the island was the first time since the Korean war that the North had attacked South Korean territory.

The won fell slightly in offshore forward trading against the dollar, with the 1-month non-deliverable dollar/won forwards rising to as high as 1,159 soon after the news broke from around 1,155.

China, the North's main backer, has said that Pyongyang had promised restraint and the threat of a new attack by the North came as China told visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg that the two big powers should cooperate more in defusing tension on the Korean peninsula.

It also came as U.S. diplomatic troubleshooter Bill Richardson visited Pyongyang in an effort to "reduce the tension on the Korean peninsula.

China's top diplomat, Dai Bingguo, urged closer coordination over the Korean peninsula during talks with Steinberg, the second most senior official in the U.S. State Department, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday.

Steinberg was in Beijing for three days up to Friday to press China to do more to bring to heel its ally, North Korea, which last month sparked alarm by shelling the island and disclosing advances in uranium enrichment which could give it a new path to make nuclear weapons.

China has avoided publicly condemning its long-time ally over the deadly shelling and nuclear moves, and instead pleaded with other powers to embrace fresh talks with North Korea.

(Writing by David Chance; Editing by Andrew Marshall)

[Warren Dew]

Heating up a little:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101217/wl_ ... orea_north

The shelling of the island was the first time since the Korean war that the North had attacked South Korean territory.

Is this accurate? I thought there had been various incidents across the DMZ?

[Coito ergo sum]

DPRK says war would go nuclear: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id ... _article=1

Russia calls on ROK to stop military exercises in Yellow Sea: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE6BG17O20101217

[Ian]

The next few days could be interesting.
I hope nothing major happens until Monday. When I'm at work.

[Blondie]

Heating up a little:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101217/wl_ ... orea_north

The shelling of the island was the first time since the Korean war that the North had attacked South Korean territory.

Is this accurate? I thought there had been various incidents across the DMZ?

No it is not accurate. The island in question belongs to neither the North or South.

[FBM]

Heating up a little:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101217/wl_ ... orea_north

The shelling of the island was the first time since the Korean war that the North had attacked South Korean territory.

Is this accurate? I thought there had been various incidents across the DMZ?

The key word they left out there was 'artillery'. It's the first artillery attack. Believe me, there have been many, many other incidents around the DMZ.

There have also been buttloads of incidents not listed in that link because they weren't near the DMZ: presidential assinations attempts in both Seoul and Burma, submarine incursions, naval skirmishes, etc etc. There are many more incidents per year than ever make the papers, according to some Korean friends of mine who served at the DMZ.

[FBM]

The next few days could be interesting.
I hope nothing major happens until Monday. When I'm at work.

I'll poke my head out the door from time to time. If I hear anything going 'boom', I'll PM you.